I had a very lazy Sunday and did nothing, a bit of a rest due to digging holes and moving earth over the previous days. The reason for all this graft is that I want to create a small flight of steps in part of the retaining wall that is damaged.

I had to install two uprights which I’ll then use to attach a couple of stringers for the stairs. I made a small framework which will double up as the formwork for the concrete needed to secure the uprights.

I went to Tradelink and picked up four bags of concrete but only paid for three because one was damaged and would have been binned anyway. I forgot just how heavy a 20kg bag of concrete is, and I know that sounds a bit counter intuitive but concrete always seems heavier than it is.

I mixed three bags in the wheel barrow and packed it around the posts and now I’ll just have to leave it until Wednesday and then the concrete should be set enough for me to continue me stairs.

Tomorrow I think will be a day for a walk after breakfast and then I’ll move onto painting because I need to finish the front fence before moving onto the retaining wall.

Thirty three years ago I started driving a truck. I worked for a company called DJ Foods driving out of Riverwood in Sydney. I worked with Steve and I was the offsider, sharing the driving and work.

We delivered frozen foods to all the RSL Clubs and many Chinese Restaurants throughout NSW. On the first day we drove to Tamworth after leaving at around 10pm. We drove through the night taking about five hours or more and then we’d catch some shut eye for a few hours.

Deliveries started around 9am after breakfast and would take most of the day until we finished at Armidale just in time for tea. I would stay with Catherine and Steve went to the motel.

From Armidale we went to Moree via Guyra and Inverrel. We stayed at the biggest motel in town owned by a mad Chinese guy, a very big character but very likeable although dodgy. This place was built with a lot of laundered money from China. I liked staying here and I guess it’s no surprise that I ended up living in China.

Dubbo, Narrabri, Warren and of as far as Nyngan before heading back to Sydney via the Blue Mountains.

Driving a four wheel steer refrigerated truck weighing around 26 tons with a Road Ranger gearbox was good fun and lucrative too.

I did this job for two years and then I left because Steve retired and I could not work with the dickhead that replaced him.

Oh I nearly forgot…. We stopped at the Murrurundi Roadhouse for supper/lunch on the way through and I would often get a burger with the lot, including pineapple and the other delicacy was toasted cheese and pineapple which was introduced to me from a very good friend called Lynn from my distant past.

And 33 years later the food is just as good 🤗

Driving the Putty Road north heading to Armidale is an absolute joy, it’s got to be one of the best driving roads in Australia and I guess that’s why so many motor bikes use it. It’s around 178km of concentration and if you drive at speed you cannot afford to break your focus for a second. Many have died on this stretch of road because they use it as a time trial and also a test of man and machine. This time however I drove very sedately adhering to the speed limit and not pushing it through the corners, after all the Olde Ford has 460,000 KM racked up and it would be silly and unfair to drive like a looney with my old friend. Give me someone else’s car and I will give it a go for sure. Many moons ago, back at the turn of the century or even before that I drove this road many times and one time I decided to give it absolute laldy and I drove the 178 km in under two hours which is quite an achievement really. Many have come a cropper and I nearly did too when I was flying down this straight just after the Halfway Roadhouse and some kangaroos decided to wander out from the grass and stand in my path, I couldn’t stop and so I waited till the last minute before swerving to the left to avoid them. They’re fickle creatures and as daft as a brush and more often than not they will turn towards you rather than move away……Thankfully they went the other way. At times it feels as if you are in a video game and the trees and roads are just a blur as your focus is directly ahead, it feels as if you are at warp speed and if you make one mistake, then you are fucked! The road has a lot more restrictions now than it did all those years ago mainly due to the many deaths and accidents, but there are some sections of the road that are utterly sublime and as you accelerate up through the series of sweeping bends , holding the car in the appropriate gear it’s just magical. This is a road where a manual car will excel, as there is only so much you can do with an auto. If you have a Golf GTI or equivalent then it would be a riot!

 

This is a walk in the lower Blue Mountains and I’ve never done it before and it’s the first difficult walk that I’ve done since I sprained my ankle at the start of the year and it was quite a challenge.

My left hip was giving me a bit of grief after walking down about 300 steps but I put a bit of pressure on it with my hand and it definitely helped me get down.

It was hot today and the sweat was running off me and I was needing more water. The last two k’s were slow and steady as my calf muscles got a workout and I’m going to regret this in the morning I think. When I finished I got a Vietnamese baget and black coffee to recharge and fuel up.

My first big walk and my ankle is complaining slightly and so after my shower I put on my compression bandage. But I really enjoyed getting out and doing this wonderful walk in the Blue Mountains.

Caught up with Pamela in Camden, it’s been a long time since we last met and she hasn’t changed a bit. Great time chatting about the good old days, plenty of reminiscing to make the soul feel good and all of a sudden the memories are vivid and real.

For lunch I had a big breakfast, marvellous apart from the hash browns which I really don’t understand and Pamela had a fancy poached egg thing which I can’t remember the Italian name for.

We sat for hours and hours and the time flew by and before you no it we had to depart. I hope it’s not another 8 years before we meet again or we might both have zimmers 🤗

Jenny, Brett and myself jumped on the River Cat from Rydelmere to Circular Quay which is a great way to get into the city and at the the same time see how the other half live. Some of the houses on the river are just amazing and I could very easily slip into that lifestyle.

When we arrived in the city the smoke was thick from the many bushfires around the city, but luckily it was heading out to sea.

We wandered around the Rocks and went to The Orient pub for lunch and it was bloody delicious. I had spicy chicken on a roll and scoffed the lot.

I enjoy the River Cat, it’s just brill👍

I arrived in Penrith yesterday from Bateau Bay via the old Pacific Highway over the Berowra Ferry and then via Windsor where I bought dark chocolate Caramel Wafers 😍. I then went for lemongrass chicken for lunch and then off to see Jenny and Brett.

Today Brett and I did the river walk around the Nepean River and then had lunch at the Log Cabin which sits on the banks of the river. It was absolutely delicious and filled me up for the rest of the day.

Haven’t had a beer in the afternoon for ages and I thoroughly enjoyed it and could have easily sat here for many hours, but alas no.

Graham has a small folding electric bicycle which he uses when he’s camping, usually to go to any shops that may be nearby rather than lugging it all the way home on foot. My first time riding an electric bike and I did not know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised and might even have to move from analogue to digital.

I’m actually contemplating on purchasing one, however I think that the cost will be the deciding factor.

The feeling of being pulled along as you go up a hill with minimal effort is just weird. Some strange force, maybe it’s the hand of god?

Very cold here last night, but slept OK. The sun is shining, however there is no heat which is no bad thing really because it won’t be long until we are all complaining about how hot it is.

Graham drove to one of the national parks, I forget the name but it’s hard to forget the view that you get along the coast. It’s simply stunning, the seas crashing on the rocks as they have done for millenia have made for some interesting shapes.

Fish and chips to follow for lunch, a crumbed piece of Barrimundi with a beetroot salad…. How exotic.

Left Forster this morning and took the scenic route south to get to Bateau Bay to catch up with Graham and Sandy. I stopped off at Seal Rocks and then walked up to Sugarloaf Lighthouse which sits on a headland between two very beautiful beaches. It was cold but the sun was shining and the sea and the sky wore matching blue in contrast to the white sands.

The beaches were popular this morning and many had braved the waves, I on the other hand was wrapped up as I strolled the last 2km to the lighthouse.

It’s a lovely part of the coast and well worth the visit, although I still can’t understand why you come here to just lie on the beach to grow skin cancers.

When I got back to the car is was time to set sail for Bateau Bay.